LaHood ready to leave Congress, keep working

Friday

U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood announces he will not seek re-election in 2009, but he plans to continue working at some other job.

The seven-term congressman, in formally announcing Friday he’s retiring from his elected seat, emphasized he plans to continue working.

"I hope maybe when this announcement is made, the phone will start ringing and people will start talking to me about what I can do in the future. I’m not going to retire from life," he said.

LaHood, 61, joined by family members, local leaders and elected officials at his campaign headquarters, said the timing is right to step down from a post he’s held since 1994. Though Peoria-area political leaders floated the possibility he might become a lobbyist, federal rules bar former members of Congress from lobbying for one year after they leave the post.

LaHood said he hopes to be remembered as an ordinary person who used his position and office to accomplish "some extraordinary things."

"I think in this job to be able to say you go out on top, I’ve given it my all, I can’t think of a thing in the world that I really want to do. I can’t think of a bill I want to introduce," LaHood said. "I look forward to walking out of the Capitol and walking out of my district head held high knowing that we gave it 1,000 percent."

Announcing his plans in advance of the November 2008 election will give all candidates a fair shot at the 20-county district seat, LaHood said. He added, however, he’s not yet throwing his support toward anyone to fill the congressional seat that’s been Republican-owned since 1919. More than a dozen politicians, businessmen and others already are unofficially throwing their hats in the race.

"This is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. People wait a political lifetime, really, for a job like this," LaHood said.

Highlights of his Illinois accomplishments include expanding Veterans Administration health clinics in Peoria, Decatur and Springfield, helping rural communities with water and sewer projects and economic development initiatives, and securing funding for infrastructure improvements like the Interstate 74 reconstruction and Route 336. He said one of this year’s biggest victories was getting President Bush to visit Peoria.

At Capitol Hill, he served with President Bush when the U.S. responded to terrorist threats, promoted ethanol as a renewable fuel of choice and promoted bipartisanship and civility among his colleagues.

"Ray has been a tremendous leader among our Illinois delegation. He has also been a tremendous mentor and friend to me personally," said U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville. "He has been able to increase bipartisan friendships and camaraderie without compromising his Republican principles. His institutional knowledge of Congress far surpasses nearly every other member of Congress."

LaHood’s son, Darin, said his dad’s decision not to seek re-election is "bittersweet."

"It’s my dad going out on top. It gives our family a lot of satisfaction that he enjoys the job and does a lot for our community. We’ll miss that," Darin LaHood said. "But it’s sweet on the other side because he’s got seven grandchildren and will have an opportunity now to spend a lot more time with them and enjoy life a little bit."

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. said LaHood will be a hard act to follow. "Several times in his career, Ray offered his caucus and Congress a different, more-civilized path away from the vicious side of political life."

As he moves on, LaHood said he won’t look back.

"I don’t know if I’m going to miss anything. I’m going to walk out the door with the idea that we gave it our all and we did a lot. I can’t think of anything I’m going to miss really."

— U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood wants to use his 30 years of public service to lead him to the next stage in his professional career.

Karen McDonald can be reached at (309) 686-3285 or kmcdonald@pjstar.com.

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